«12. . .1,2551,2561,2571,2581,2591,2601,261. . .1,4541,455»
Ameli, after leaving the hangar, bumped into a blue skinned Succubi, with black, shoulder length curls and ram-esque horns.
"Oh, sorry about..." the Succubi looked at Ameli, "Oh you are that...Sorcerer? Sorceress? The lady Mistress Nelly brought in."
She smiled and offered a hand to her.
"I am Tabitha, it is very nice to meet you...are you enjoying your stay with us?"
******
Indeed, it was quite awkward. Anne seemed to not be very skilled with conversation, leaving a rather stilted, awkward dialoge that seemed to drag. However it seemed that Anne genuinely was interested in getting to know Vara...or at least wanted to be friends with Vara...but she just didn't know how. Most the talking was about flags or cooking, and she was quite knowledgable in both areas, however in all other cases she seemed disinterested, or just didn't know, and it didn't help that she constantly refered to her "notes", leaving awkward pauses in the conversation that seemed to stretch on. She didn't mean to be awkward, but that was just the situation.
Eventually Anne suddenly stood up and left. Vara was left alone and rather...surprised without any idea how to react. She did, however, see a Succubi direct a rather tall looking Shakar soldier towards Vara from the far end of the hangar bay. He smiled, nodded, and began making his way over. She could either wait for him to approach, go out to meet him, or simply leave entirely.
******
"Well we can play it by jumpin' on the black sqaures or white squares, doesn't matter too much now does it?" Ann said with a smile. "Pays in life to be flexible...both physically and metaphorically."
As if to prove her point, she stretched, and twisted her spine easily and nearly spun it around at least 200 degrees, eliciting a slight cringe and a watering of the eyes as she pushed her body past the bounds of what was normally possible.
Ann shrugged and opened the box once they found themselves at a makeshift table and chairs converted from two folding chairs and an ammo crate. After she placed everything down, Eveline saw it was old and showed extensive wear. The colours to chose from were red and blue.
"Alright, do you play red goes first or blue goes first?" Ann asked.
*******
Nelly shrugged.
"I would certainly like to avoid the extra step of beurocracy, but if that is your orders, I will obey them."
Nelly took her time to savour the meal, before she eventually nodded to the Emperor, signalling that she had eaten her full.
******
Hawthorne let out a slight laugh and nodded.
"Ah, sorry-" he tapped his head and rolled his eyes, "-i must be living in the past."
He shook his head.
"Do you have anywhere we can sleep tonight aside from some old, decrepit...fortress or something?"
******
The Grendels palmed off their horses to the stable hands before entering this guest house...well...most of them. Two soldiers flanked the front enterance while the thirteen remaining troops patrolled the entire house. The diplomat and Princess recieved a one and two royal guards respectively.
Princess Kressidia covered the entire room in a very thorough search; under beds she looked, behind cabinets she searched. Windowsills, loose planks in the floor, the ceiling, anywhere and everywhere she searched. Once she was satisfied there was no foul play afoot, Kressidia stretched and opened her travelling bags filled with all manner of attire, provisions, and other things a Princess needed to make a good first impression. After all, it was a king, and while she was sure looks would not sway him it always helped to be well presented and to not look like a dungheap on the side of the road.
Besides, it also served as a guilty confidence boost.
She informed a servant she wished to have a bath, and informed her two royal guards that she intended to have one as well.
"You might find it's good for you." Wesley replied. "Take Vith, she's from Roodem, and she's practically part of the family. When we go on break I take her home with me...she's like a second child to me."
"Thats true, Harold's a brother I never had." Vith agreed.
"You might find that having an Apprentice is just...nice to have...and hey it always is helpful to have an extra pair of eyes.
"And you don't have to be like Harden as well." Wesley added.
******
Harden saw the Queen walk by with her entourage of guards and was impressed; even if the Royal Guards wouldn't be able to defeat a large assault on the castle, they were damn well going to buy enough time to get the Queen to safety. While they were not as skilled in archery as a Ranger, nor had the veritable menagerie of skills the Rangers had, the Royal Guards were some of the finests swordsmen in the land, and had also trained in specific anti-cavalry tactics which some may argue was quite brutal, and especially wrong in the eyes of a Hartian; to the Hartians, killing horses was abhorrent, to the Guards, it was necessary.
******
Irrespective, Kavir was led away, along with the Princess and the handler.
The soldiers who were preparing to launch an ambush on the bus watched as Mandrat jumped over the barricade without issue. Stunned, surprised, and otherwise shocked, they did not even level their rifles.
One pulled out a radio.
"Uh...uh yeah guys there's...theres ah...a bus...It...it was going...it was going uh...very fast and...just...we...we uh...we didn't have time...to...stop it...yeah..."
*** ***
As Mandrat drove along the road, she eventually reached a sideroad that branched off to the left from the main highway of sorts. Looking at the map, she was turning that way.
******
The Two Rangers made handsignals to one another.
Producing a small knife, Fendir judged the angle, frowned, shifted the weight of the blade in his hands before he swung it to the side, and flung it with frightening speed towards the abdomen. At the same time, Tavish drew a second knife and swung into the room himself, moving for a tackle against the commander and reaching for his helmet.
(Woah...that's surprising...I was actually thinking that Ameli and Tabitha should meet and talk...)
Ameli happily shook her hand.
"Yes, I am. Although...I am a bit homesick...but other than that my stay has been quite nice. Though perhaps this place could do with a little more...greenery, don't you think?"
******
Vara waited for the Shakar to approach.
******
"Uh...green...we have green and red pieces, not blue and red, so...I guess that would mean blue goes first? But I don't really mind either way. Like you said, it doesn't matter too much."
******
The Royal Emperor nodded.
"Bureaucracy certainly can get annoying, but it does serve a purpose. Frankly, I am a bit worried for Mariella. But, if things go well, I will be inclined to be more open to your...methods."
Waiters removed the salad, refilled drinks and brought out the main course: an entire roasted boar, covered in a thick, creamy, spice-filled sauce. The head waiter asked each of them what cut of the boar they would like first. The Royal Emperor went for some ribs.
******
Carmelia thought for a moment before responding.
"...yeah, I think I have a place. I'll prepare a teleportation spell."
Carmelia pulled out a rug, a bucket of paint, and some other supplies and got to work.
"...unless you guys have a faster method of teleportation?"
******
Indeed, there was no foul play.
The bathing room of the guest house was prepared. The pool was small, roughly four or five meters by four or five meters. Warm water came from a valve-controlled faucet connected to the room above which had a reservoir of warm water.
"Well the entire planet could use a bit more greenery thats for sure, but irrespective, I certainly agree a few potted plants could spruce up the place. Only problem is that it's going to suck up a lot of water to keep them hydrated."
Tabitha looked to Ameli.
"Anything I can do for you? Get you a nice place to rest for the night? Perhaps? Maybe talk over a meal?"
*****
The Shakar walked over, his hooves clacking along the steel floors. Upon closer inspection, it appeared his hooves had been shoed, something the Primaeri did not do.
"Hello," he said, "Are you Vara?"
*****
"Fair enough, we'll have blue go first."
She collected two pieces and briefly tossed them around in her hands before she held two open fists out before Eveline.
"Take your pick." Ann said politely.
******
Nelly followed suit, and asked for some ribs.
"My methods have been used on a great many of my girls...however don't think I work purely through punishment; If she's good, she'll be rewarded, simple as that."
Nelly smiled softly at the Boar and chuckled.
"This is certainly a treat you are giving me, Royal Emperor...do you always spoil the women in your life this way?"
******
"Without any trees around we can't do anything, sorry...we'll grow some in these mountains so we can travel faster."
******
Kressidia and her guards ensured the door was closed and that no one would peak in. Immersing herself in the hot waters, Kressidia was slightly startled by the warm temperature, but soon simply melted into the luxurious heat of the pool. She floated about for quite some time, before getting to the task at hand, washing herself down thoroughly, and pushing every molecule of grime and dirt out of her hair, face and nails.
After about half an hour of thorough cleaning, she dried herself down and donned a nightgown, she then returned to her quarters, picked out her clothes for the next day, and dosed off to sleep. She bemoaned not bringing along her handmaiden, but resolved that this was dangerous territory, and besides, they were close friends, and she was ordered to open diplomatic channels, not Freyda.
And thus, she dozed off, drifting into a pleasant sleep.
"Ah...yeah...both, I guess. Food and a place to sleep would be nice, yes."
******
Vara nodded.
"I am. Who are you?"
******
"Oh...usually...yeah this is a fairer way of doing things. I'll pick...right hand. Well, my right. Your left."
******
The Royal Emperor shook his head.
"Such a meal is reserved for special occasions. Besides, there are no women like you."
******
Carmelia nodded and got back to work painting the rug. When she was finished, she handed out candles to everyone and instructed them to stand in the circle she painted. It was tight, but they could all fit.
******
In the morning, breakfast was served: eggs, bread, a thin cut of roasted boar, and juice. A little while later, they were summoned to Lord Talide's throne room.
"Well why don't we go about getting you those things...come on, I'll take you to the mess hall."
Tabitha began leading Ameli through the halls, and struck up Idle conversation.
"So as a Sorcerer...what can you do? Teleport? Transmute materials? Would you say you abide by the laws of energy conservation?"
"Energy what?"
"The laws of energy conservation; energy cannot be created or destroyed, simply converted from one form into another. This is if the theory that Mass is Energy is true, of course."
******
The Shakar smiled.
"I am Taka Kunari...I believe you met my Cousins', Nija and Azai...but I suppose you knew Nija as Clovis when you first met."
He bowed before Vara.
"He told me that you helped in freeing him...words cannot describe the gratitude my family feels towards you; Many of our brethren were lost, and you certainly mended my Aunt's tattered heart..."
Taka looked around the Carrier's hangar.
"If I am able to let you from here, would you accept my invitation to our household? I am sure we would all wish to show you our thanks properly."
******
Ann smirked.
"You sure?"
Eveline nodded, eliciting a laugh from Ann.
"Alrighty, here we are."
She opened the hand and passed Eveline a blue checker.
"Here ya go, looks like you get to go first!"
******
Nelly giggled slightly and gave the Emperor a sideways glance.
"Well, you certainly make me feel special..."
She giggled again.
"ah, but a woman is only as special as the man she is with." She replied, giving a quick wink to the Emperor.
******
There were curious murmurs and whispers, accompanied by a few childish inuendos and their associated giggles, as the Druids, who appeared more like a big family than a group of naturalist cultists, gathered in the circle.
******
The Diplomat and the Princess arrived, carrying what appeared to be a small box; most likely a gift. The Princess wore a white and magenta gown adorned with silver embroidery and lace, which left little more than her face, neck and hands exposed for the group to see. Her hair was pulled back into a modest bun, and her makeup was minimal. The diplomat, an older man (most likely a makeshift chaperone to the Princess who looked no older than twenty-five) wore a simple green and white robe. The Royal Guards escorting them respectfully undid their weapon belts at the door to the chamber and entered the throne room unarmed.
Upon reaching halfway towards the King in a slow, reverent stride, the Princess, Diplomat, and Royal Guards knelt before the King and offered the box.
"Your Highness, we thank you for granting us safe passage within your land, and for allowing us to have an audience and open diplomatic channels."
They were then silent, awaiting the King's response.
Mandrat took a left, looking at the environment around her.
******
Tavish succeeded, taking down the commander, as Fendir looked at the map marks. The plan was to split the army in two to attack Mivant and Duric, then reconverge to attack Raziel, then going back to attack Yunkeia as the Khanate overtakes Zerdan.
(I AM SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT A WEEK AND A HALF I AM A DISASTER I LOVE YOU k I’m done talking now and we’re gonna be more consistent)
Connie laughs softly. “You’re adorable.”
Kiki nods. “It’s probably about time to put Blue down for a nap anyways.”
(We achieved that so we should be good ;P)
Wafflepocalypse
Carissa shakes her head. “I’m not sure. I don’t think any of us have done anything to her...”
Tyramon I am struggling very much to keep track, where did we end up with Corali and Eastrid and Luca??
Macy nods. “I think I’d probably rather do that... if that’s okay, I guess. Just... it feel really weird to...” she gestures at Michael and then at herself. “...I’m sorry...”
Kiralyn reluctantly starts moving, still refusing to let go of Kyra’s hand.
(We can set this one down for now?? Unless you want to do something with Ky and Lyn without Shunni... but I’d probably rather just wait for Gondor to come back for that one, I think.)
YesVerse
“How could they have been real for you if there were never real for me?”
Michael seems to settle down a bit, though he still seems rather anxious.
Jax sighs softly. “Come on, we’ll get you some food, that’ll help.” He gets her sitting down at a table where several Aerlanicans are drinking a very potent-smelling alcohol and chatting about what could’ve happened to Kansas, and returns a few moments later with two plates of waffles, setting one down in front of Kyra.
“Sorry, waffles are all we’ve got at the moment. Hope you don’t mind too much.”
"Well, you see-"
Ameli paused.
"Oh...uh...hmm...if I tell you about my magic, will you tell me about yours?"
******
Vara nodded.
"I will accept, yes."
Vara hoped that she had been forgiven for the...less kind things she had done prior to them gaining their freedom. If she had, it would be good to gain an ally or friend. If not...well...hopefully they wouldn't kill her before she could get away.
******
Eveline smiled.
"Thanks."
When they began to play, Ann saw that Eveline was...decent at the game, but certainly not an expert. Her skills quite rusty.
******
"Ah...I appreciate your kindness."
Nelly would likely be able to guess that it would be improper for him to thank someone of lower standing, and this was as close as he could get.
******
After a bit of chanting and a sudden shooting up of their flames engulfing them in a warm, upward gust, they suddenly became nauseous and noticed a change in scenery. Now, instead of the temple ruins on the mountains, they were...just in a different part of the mountains.
******
An aide took the gift box to another room to open it and make sure it was safe.
Lord Talide sat in a gilded throne and wore white robes with golden detailing. He also wore a golden crown with fine silver detailing of some sort. Standing out of a small hole in the ground in front and to the right of his throne was an exquisite sword with its hilt just below his right hand.
To his left was his queen, Lady Talide, in her own throne. To his right was another woman, dressed strangely in black clothes with blue highlights, sitting in a far-less-decorated-but-still-nice seat.
Lord Talide looked upon the Princess.
"I welcome you here. Rise, and explain for what you have come."
******
(Ken I think was making breakfast, then maybe they can go out to...I think the aquarium was one possibility?
But if you are really busy we can suspend this rp/wrap it up and finish it. It is up to you.)
The environment was the same throughout; dead, burnt or poisoned plants and trees, bare dirt, stone and the occasional clump of lifeless, grey grass or twisted brown bramble. Burnt out husks of vehicles, or ones that were abandoned and left to rust, cracked asphalt roads left in disrepair with inumerable pot-holes and cracks.
The sky was clear, albeit with a bit of chemical haze, but it appears the worst of the air pollution had settled and the particulate left to drift down to the floor, or blown into the mountain sides where it seeped into the ground water.
There were some patches of some green, but they were few, far between, and sickly.
It was scary; while Iblion was evil, humanity had caused this destruction, it seemed the only difference between man and monster was restraint, inhibition, and empathy...and when the fires of war blazed, how easy those things were to burn away or ignore.
*******
"Fendir, write the notes."
"On it."
Fendir did not take the map, but instead began sketching a copy of the battle plan into a notebook complete with annotations. Tavish himself began ransacking the place for ledgers, as well as anything of value; they would take those things with them and leave the original copies of the intelligence to give the illusion of simple burgulars wanting to make a quick buck, and not Rangers seeking intelligence and aiming to decapitate an army.
(YO ITS OK DON"T BE UPSET YOU ARENT A DISASTER!!!! <3 we love u :3)
"That makes two of us." Tsarina said with a soft grin.
William gave them a nod, and Kiki also noticed that his milky left eye had grown a bit less clouded; the cataract and scarring seemingly faded. William didn't seem to notice, and Trudy didn't even recognise a change on account of her never seeing the scarring to it's full extent.
"Well...I suppose we should make camp, cook some sausages, and settle down for the night before we head off."
"If you need a place to sleep, we can provide." Trudy said politely.
"We wouldn't want to abuse your hospitality; besides, we can't exactly take a baby for a swim through that waterfall now can we?"
Wafflepocalypse
"Well, is there anything you have failed to do for her?"
Tabitha raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
"No...no it's not magic...certainly, any form of advanced or unknown phenomena, or any anomaly present, can be portrayed as Magic, however in all actuality it's just science when it comes down to it." Tabitha said with a smile. "I don't have anything particularly special up my sleive; not cards in pockets or rabbits in hats or anything of the sort."
******
Taka smiled and bowed once more.
"I will see if my commanding officer will allow."
He chuckled.
"You humans seemed bound by laws...it is strange...before when there was disputes there were tests of might, now there is rules and laws...it is strange...but I suppose it makes sense; you cannot...uh...get back what you lost...regrow? Is that your word?"
He pulled put a book from his back pocket, which looked rather small in his large hands. It had two titles; one written in rather elegant and smooth scrolling, and the other written in Augustan: "Shakar-Augustan Translation Manual 2: Dictionary"
He looked through it before nodding.
"Yes, regrow..."
*******
Ann didn't really play to win...she just played to seemingly spend time with Eveline and keep her company. After all, Eveline was in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, and thrust into a series of strange, conflicting situations, so she just aimed to keep Eveline's mind calm and distracted. A little kindness would hopefully go a long way.
******
Nelly smiled.
"I understand what you mean." She said softly.
Eventually, she dug into the presented boar, and made very vocal compliments to the chef. It wasn't a trick or a charade, she genuinely was absolutely blown away by the meal in front of her. The meat, the sauce, the seasoning...bloody hell it was some of the best stuff she'd ever tasted!
She kept on looking back to the Emperor, giving him glances of admiration and thanks...some of it was genuine; this was sort of the first time she'd ever been on a "real" date, and not a secretive one with Calahan.
******
The Druids stumbled a bit and swayed slightly, but they otherwise were seemingly impressed by the display of magic.
"You going to teach us how to do that?" Hawthorne asked.
******
The box, when opened, revealed five beautifully carved and cut emeralds, nestling on a white pillow. They refracted the light elegantly, and had seemingly no imperfections...they were worth a small fortune, indeed.
Back in the throne room, Princess Kressidia shot a curious glance to the strange, blue-black dressed woman, before turning towards King Talide. King Talide most likely noticed this glance.
"As you know, I am Princess Kressidia, my father is King Ernst of the House Stahlbaum, current regent of the Kingdom of Grendel. We seek diplomatic relations with your kingdom to mutually benefit one another, from trading rights, to possibly even a military alliance."
Talide heard of the kingdom of Grendel, it was one of the many Kingdoms within the Valleys of Splendour; verdant, rich in resources, it was a greedy goal for many a kingdom, including the Mongolyns to the far east who had tried and failed to crush the Kingdom of Aerlanic, and even suffered devastating defeat at the hands of this martial kingdom. Many of the kingdoms within the Valleys tried to keep outsiders out, meaning it was curious that Grendel was pragmatic enough to reach out to Talide, and his kingdom.
"The gift I have given is a mere token offering of the fruits our kingdom can provide...think of it as a...as an appetiser, if you will, for what could be.
"While we may not be the most powerful Kingdom in the world...we are certainly a powerful one."
(I'll grove however you guys wanna groove, however I do wanna see Eastrid and Delegata meet)
Ameli smiled.
"It is science, yes, but you call the science of studying living things 'biology', no? And the study elements and compounds and chemical interactions 'chemistry', no? Well, these each have their own set of rules and methods of study. They do not conflict, not truly, even if it may initially seem so. But there is an artificial separation to make things easier for studying. It is the same way with magic. Someday, all magical things may be explained with purer forms of science, but until then, it is its own field of study."
******
"Regrow? As in regrow limbs? Are you able to regrow limbs?"
******
Eveline didn't seem to notice, but she seemed to be having fun, so Ann was successful.
******
The head waiter would come from time to time to cut them more pieces of the boar until they were both satisfied. There was more than enough meat for both of them, and the Royal Emperor informed Nelly that there would still be dessert coming afterwards.
******
Carmelia laughed.
"Maybe. We'll see. Come on, we still have a ways to go to shelter."
She looked around, determining where they were, before she began walking towards a cave.
******
Lord Talide nodded.
"I see...what resources do you have to offer, and for what resources do wish to trade?"
Tabitha nodded.
"I suppose that is true; While there are some niche and or minor overlaps between fields here and there, most of them are quite distinct and specialised, also posessing more specialised realms of study within them, such as Organic chemistry, or quantumn mechanics."
Tabitha paused.
"So you are a sorcerer, yes? I suspect there are other fields? Like witches and wizards and the sort?"
*******
"Not just limbs; bones, organs...more complex means more time to regrow, yes, but for fingers, about three or four days...arms and legs only a week or two."
"What about cancers? Or...or infections?"
"If it is not brain or heart, we cut it out and regrow." He said with a shrug. "I myself have had three lungs and one stomach cut out...it is not big deal, just something that is the case."
Vara paused with a raised eyebrow and with noticable confusion on his face
"If you want I could give you demonstration." Taka said, removing a standard-issue Aerlanican Bayonet from it's sheath in a very nonchalaunt manner.
******
Ann smiled brightly; she liked making people happy, like all the people in her storybooks her mother read to her, and her own tales she tried to make up when she was younger. She could still remember the tubes down her throat and the machines often hooked up to her, and remembered how her mind wandered so freely when her legs could not.
Now, her kind-natured exploits were now free from those machines, and free from Iblion...what wonderful things she could do?
Well, she'd find out one day, for now she just made her mission to make Eveline happy.
Ann now threw the game at the last minute, giving Eveline the satisfaction of a nail-biting, hard won victory.
"Well hot damn, and here I was lookin' for an equal...maybe I should've swung by your place earlier." She said with a smile.
*******
Nelly was happily eating her expected full, and had to restrain herself to keep from gorging on the delectible boar before her and making a mess. But she happily and gleefully proclaimed her excitement for the coming dessert.
After Nelly was done with another slice of boar, she let out a laugh.
"I honestly feel a bit guilty enjoying this," She said with a wide smile, "It tastes so good it might as well be illegal!"
*******
The druids assembled themselves, and after firm words from Hawthorne to not "sing", they entered the cave in single file, following the steps of Carmellia almost perfectly.
"So, this is one of your safe hiding spaces? Looks like a cave...doesn't the Tyramonian army ever come up here?"
*******
"As the name of our house suggests, we have such an abundance of steel it might as well grow from the trees themselves...furthermore we have precious gems, and we have consistently been producing a comfortable excess of grain for at least three years and thus have a surplus; I noticed the slice of bread for my breakfast was thin, suggesting frugality in it's use. We will be more than happy to give you a portion of our grain, in return, we seek an edge over our...enemies."
Prince Kressidia looked over to the woman siting atop the chair to the side, and frowned.
"My grace, I do not wish to sound rude, but...who is your advisor? I apologise, but the only other nation that posesses females in seats of power would be the Aerlanic's, who have a female leading their "Ranger" corp."
"Well...they aren't exactly other fields...more like...other positions. Titles, if you will. A witch and a wizard are very similar; they just belong to different orders. A Sorcerer, though, is different. A Sorcerer is...how do I explain it...someone who has become so powerful with magic that it causes a massive change to even just the baseline physiology."
******
Vara shook her head.
"While I am certainly curious, I don't want to cause you the inconvenience, nor do I want to create a mess of blood here."
******
Eveline didn't know what Ann was talking about, but she figured it was something nice and smiled and nodded.
"Thanks...I had a lot of fun."
******
"Ah...I'd say that you deserved to be spoiled, but seeing as you are deserving of such a treat, it can hardly be called 'spoiling'. In other words, enjoy, and eat as much as you wish. It would be a shame if you left the table still hungry."
******
"There are countless caves in Tyramon and these mountains especially. This one is also only really visible from a particular angle. You'd miss it unless you knew what to look for."
There were some small rooms carved out of the walls with bedding and furniture that seemed centuries old, but thankfully was (for the most part) still usable.
******
Talide smiled.
"Ah...well...you will give us grain and steel, and in return, this woman will provide you with tools to help defeat your enemies. You might describe her as a weaponsmith, but not your typical sword-maker by any means. Let us have a demonstration, yes?"
He looked to an aide, and within a couple of minutes, several extremely heavy crates were brought in and laid in a line. Four crates, each needing two men to lift.
"Now...who is your strongest soldier?"
Tabitha frowned.
"So...the magic you posess has a sort of...mutagenic property? Is it benificial or detrimental? Perhaps you need some form of counterbalance to keep it from undergoing a runaway...mutation of sorts that will corrupt your DNA entirely or kill you similar to how a reactor needs to be cooled to stop it from melting down?"
Tabitha paused.
"Do you mind if I run a few blood tests?"
******
Taka shrugged and sheathed the bayonette.
"If you say so."
He nodded.
"I will talk to my commanding officer, and I will take you to meet my family."
He patted her shoulder, causing her to wince slightly as the large hand patted perhaps a bit too hard.
"I will return, Myal'rul."
He tapped his forehead with a knuckle, then tapped hers with the same knuckle in a rather arbitrary and slightly uncomfortable motion before Taka turned and left, his steel-capped hooves clacking across the metallic floor of the carrier. Looking around, she saw a few Shakar soldiers give a raised eyebrow to the exchanged, before giving her a respectful nod.
******
"Well with a game like this and company like yourself I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn't have a right ol' riot of a time I tells you."
Ann shrugged.
"Wanna go again?" She paused and lent in, giving Eveline a cheeky grin, "And mind if I go first this time?"
******
Nelly gave the Emperor a wide, beaming and genuine smile, her purple cheeks growing ever so slightly more red in hue.
"Well I still feel like I don't deserve this somewhat, but...if you insist I will happily olbige...I just hope I have enough space for dessert, and that I'm not detracting from your own meal."
She managed to eat a few more slices of the boar before she insisted she wanted to wait for desert.
******
"Well maybe we should've fled into these instead of into the Valleys of Splendour...maybe more clans would've survived."
Hawthorne nodded and looked sideways to Carmellia.
"You know, we really owe you one here...we really do...if you ever need a favour, I'd be more than happy to arrange something within reason."
Most the druids found their way to their bedding and dropped their supplies before congregating in the largest room possible to fit most of them. Soon, Hawthorne gathered himself softly sung a tune to a collection of dried plant matter, and within a moment, a small flame flickered to life that was soon built into a small fire. The words Hawthorne sung were old, and seemed to resonate with the natural world around them. While they were similar in candence, phoneme and by the looks of things, syntax, to the language of the Witches, it was indecypherable to Carmellia.
Soon, the Druids began singing a song in a more recreational manner, it was in a dialect similar to the witches and most likely more modern, but still of an older dialect. They seemed to be a big family, or an extension of this family, and as they sung they smiled and laughed with each other. And while there were occasional solo performances, they paled in comparrison to the beauty of the Druids singing in chorus, and Carmellia couldn't help but smile and tap her foot along to some of the more fast paced tunes, and softly sway to the more slower ballads.
******
"Strength is a subjective affair; one may be strong in mind, but weak in body and spirit."
Talide gave the Princess a soft smile and nodded.
"Wise words...so then who is it among you who is strongest in body?"
Kressidia looked to a few of the Royal Guard, and gestured to one.
"I volunteer Wolfgang."
The guard stepped forward and saluted the King.
"Look...I want to help you, I really do. But I cannot tell you much or help you in your pursuit of knowledge unless you are able to give me knowledge in return."
******
Vara was curious if the gesture was some sort of indicator of honor, respect, or perhaps brotherhood or something similar. She decided to look for an Aerlanican to ask, as it might be awkward to ask the Shakar themselves.
******
Eveline nodded.
"By all means, go ahead."
******
The Royal Emperor didn't push her; if she was satisfied, that was good.
The remains of the boar were taken back to the kitchen, and dessert was brought out: three large scoops of ice cream topped with several berries and slices of fruit. It made sense; in a hot country where most people didn't have access to electricity, let alone artificial cooling, ice cream was a delicacy. It was extremely cold, forcing any regular human to eat quite slowly, but it was also still creamy. But, Nelly being a succubus, she would likely only notice this from the Royal Emperor eating somewhat more slowly.
******
Carmelia found a seat next to the nineteen-year-old druid.
"So...what's your name?"
******
Lord Talide nodded.
"Wolfgang, push with all your might on the crates. Move them twenty centimeters right now, without my help or anyone else's, and you shall be greatly rewarded."
Wolfgang tried and failed to make them budge. It was not possible.
Lord Talide saw this and smiled. The strangely-dressed woman stepped forward and handed him a small vial of a purple liquid.
"Drink that," he said, "and try again. This time, you will be able to move the crates."
Indeed, the potion he was given would grant him great strength, allowing him to push the crates or even lift one by himself.
Tabitha paused, and titled her head.
"I can give you a complete copy of my notes on Succubi physiology and similar biology, along with the entirety of the experimental processes used to reach the conclusions...granted, you'll have to give me a lot of paper; the Aerlanicans already scoffed up all of it when they asked me to give them copies of my works."
*******
After asking a bunch of Aerlanican soldiers (who gave her looks ranging from surprise, curiosity, apathy, and...well...attraction...) most did not know what it meant; they were largely unfamiliar with Shakar soldiers, and only really knew them as big soldiers who could carry heavy things and could move as fast as a horse if they wished (which many commented was frightening).
There was one currently walking out of a Succubi's room in a rather awkward, meek and extremely nervous manner (making efforts to hastily fasten a few loose buttons) who more or less said it was a sign of respect. He also elaborated that they didn't press foreheads against one another because that would result in a clashing of horns, which would be seen as a sign a challenge of dominance was made, and would usually result in a fight where the losing party would have to comply completely with the victor, unless a pre-existing disagreement was present.
Suffice to say, things like "Judges", "Juries", "Courts" and "Lawyers" were completely foreign to the Shakar, and often times the Shakar Planetary Authority, the Provisional Government of Shakar, had reports of the Shakar still practicing a rather violent and in many cases manipulative, cruel and abusive portion of their culture.
*******
Ann smiled and began.
Once again, it was a very close game, with it being anyones guess who would win. In the end, those who would've guessed Eveline were proven right again, as she managed to gain a nailbiting victory.
*******
Indeed, while the Royal Emperor had to pace himself, Nelly's temperature resistance did protect Nelly from the worst of the frost. However the extreme cold also had the very positive effect that Nelly finally was able to eat cold...well...slightly cool...icecream for the first time in a few years.
Nelly smiled as she ate it, moving at a faster pace than the Royal Emperor.
"It's been ages since I've actually tasted "cool" ice cream," Nelly murmured, before looking up to the Royal Emperor and watching him consume his meal slowly, "however I suppose it's practically frigid for you."
*******
The young druid with light brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes briefly turned away from the conversation he was having with the female druid.
"Oh, I'm Byron...this is Kelsee, my girlfriend."
The girl next to him with similar complexion and eye colour, but a much darker shade of hair, gave a small wave to Carmellia.
"Hello," she said politely, "you must be Carmellia...I have to say your dress is absolutely lovely, did you make it yourself?"
******
Wolfgang pushed the Witches hand away, giving her a scoff and a sideways glance.
"Save your quackery for a simpleton; I need a long stick and a rock, or any form of lever long enough and fulcrum strong enough to get enough torque, then I'll be able to move the crate-"
"Wolfgang, just drink the...drink or potion or whatever it is..."
Wolfgang looked to the Princess, then to the Witch.
"It will not kill you." She insisted.
Wolfgang was extremely adverse to handling a strange substance, let alone drink the potion. However after being told by the Princess to drink it, and being informed that it was not, in fact, poison, he drunk it regrettably and gave a small push to the box.
Mandrat grinned wider. Now here was a country who knows how to treat their citizens. She reminded herself of her mission: To spread despair to that Madilyn Jones woman. She checked her map again.
************
They snuck into the night with the information, battle plans as well as "sacred documents" which seemed to be moreso long praises of Malin of Banderviss and torture methods to those who are "blasphemous" to her.
************
King Cabaret Oatseria leaped off his horse to the meeting spot with the Aerlanic.
As Mandrat looked at the map, she heard a slight thump. She paused, stopped the bus, and looked out the side to see a set of roadspikes that were rapidly rolled across the road as she looked at the map. With a frown, she was about to scan the surrounding area before she felt a cylindrical object press against the back of her head.
"Alright, who the f%$# are you and why are you here?" Came a distinctly feminine voice.
Mandrat chuckled.
"I'm looking for Madylin Jones," Mandrat explained, "I want to...how do you say...make friends with her?"
"Oh, so you want to join her?" The voice asked with mild surprise, a possible sarcastic tone accompaying the question.
"Of course, I'd like a meeting."
"Well we're planning on sending her to a nice, warm place for a meeting with all her other friends, want to be the first there?"
"Uh...sure-"
There was a loud crack, and then a distinct twang as the rifle fired and the bullet ricochet off of the back of Mandrat's head in a rather cartoonish fashion. By the looks of things, and the sound of things, these people were no friends of Madylin Jones.
"What the f%$#?" Came the voice again, "What...who...what are you?"
******
They made a beeline for a secondary location, whereupon they were going to palm off the intel. They also took with them a few silver candelabra, all the gold on the captain and practically anything that looked shiny, while leaving behind maps, documents and anything paper. To any observer, it was simply a burglary by simple burglars capitalising on the chaos of war; it was an unfortunate lapse in security, but not debilitating to the war effort.
******
The Aerlanic-Hartian army stood before the king, arrayed in units in a form of ceremonial fashion; they were meeting a king, after all.
The King of the Aerlanic, a youngish man in his mid to late twenties with brown-red hair wore chainmail armour, a steel helment with a gold band, a talbard with the Aerlanic star crest, and a firm expression. Surrounding him were no less than thirty guards, similarly, if not more heavily, armed.
As a sign of respect, the king of the Aerlanic, who King Cabaret knew to be called King Eodwyn Athelwulfson
"Well maybe you should've been quicker on the draw!" Vith teased with a smirk, "I'm already recruited."
"And there's no way I can win you over?" Lillian replied with a smirk.
"Nope...oh, wait...probably one of them cutsey Hartian stablehands...whoo, if thats how they treat horses, imagine how they'd treat a woman; hell acursed they must worship them like gods!"
"Reign it back Vith," Wesley said with a smile, "the pursuits of love can wait, as of now, we will remain underinformed, underromanced, and under tents."
Vith nodded and continued to distribute the herbal mixture.
Mandrat stuck a bowing pose, saying "I am Mandrat, celestial of misfortune!"
Mandrat snapped her fingers. "Oh! You want me to give you some despair first? Well, give me just one moment."
Mandrat quickly gave a deli ticket to each person, listing 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865 and 1866.
"Now you're in the queue! It'll take a while because I'm on number 7, one miss Madilyn Jones!"
******
Chaos began to break out in Tashis/Feltov due to a counteroffensive by nearby Oatserian garrisons as well as Oatserians in Tashis fighting back against the Banderviss, giving Tavish and Fendir a free escape.
****
Cabaret was an older man, late fifties, with a long gray beard and short hair. Blue fabric covered a steel armor plate, as well as a sword wrapped in gold paint. He bowed his head to Eodwyn. "Thank you for your help. We have made a mistake in believing the Zerdan to be our largest enemies at the moment."
The five Aerlanicans looked awkwardly at the deli tickets they were given, before giving cautionary glances to Mandrat. They were more confused then despairing.
"What?" The woman who shot her in the back of the head asked, brushing aside a stray hair from in front of her gasmask's lenses.
*****
Indeed, and the Rangers melted away without a trace.
*****
Eodwyn bowed as well in respect; they were equals, as far as the king was concerned, despite the age of his Oatserian counterpart.
"There is no issue; we have faced the Mongolyn and their seditious forces many times before; we would do well to show them that they are not allowed to encircle any of our parties.
"I hear the initial stages of the invasion are not going well."
(Sorry about the delay.)
Ameli considered this before nodding.
"Yeah...that will do, thanks. Okay, so...I...yeah I guess you can run some blood tests, but I will probably have be there when you do the testing...although...I'll have to get that blood back when you are done."
*******
It being a sign of respect made sense to Vara given the context. She returned to her room and waited for Echo to arrive.
*******
Eveline smiled.
"Ah...good game...that was close. Shall we go again?"
*******
The Royal Emperor nodded.
"It is. But, if you wish for it to be even colder, that can be arranged, though it may take some time."
*******
Carmelia nodded.
"I did, yes."
Carmelia looked at Kelsee, considering possible ways to get rid of the competition. In the end she decided it was probably not worth the hassle; there were likely many druid males, and surely some of the good ones were not yet taken.
******
A small push did nothing. Talide sighed.
"Push a little harder."
When he did, the boxes began to move. It seemed impossible, but now he was able to push them.
Aerlanica
(I am very busy at the moment but I would also very much like to continue this rp, I am having a lot of fun with it and I like writing with you guys ;P
So I'd like to keep this going. And thank you both for your patience with me, this time of year is always a bit crazy for us lol)
Kenji finally comes out of the kitchen with three plates of food, handing one off to Eastrid and one to Corali. "Finally got the food done. How are you doing, Corali?" He asks with concern in his voice.
(I am very much a disaster lol. But thanks for being patient with me. I love doing rp with you, just been a bit burnt out and busy but I love this and I love you guys and I'm working on being around more often <3)
Connie blushes lightly. "Come on, we should go back with everyone, it sounds like they're heading back into town."
Trucy nods. "Makes sense. And I'm sure Zera has a hotel set up for you in Waffle Valley as well." She smiles warmly. "Well, it was very nice to see you all again. We hope to see you again soon."
Wafflepocalypse
Carissa thinks for a long moment. "I think that might be what she's upset about, that we haven't done anything." She shakes her head.
Macy nods. "Yeah, if you don't mind. I'm sorry..."
Kira laughs halfheartedly. "Come on. Or do you want me to carry you?"
(Coolio ;P)
YESverse
"Yeah, they all moved on and left me behind," Gracie sighs angrily.
Michael sighs softly and shifts himself to snuggle closer into Thomas' shirt.
Jax nods. "Alright. Have some of this too, it'll make it hurt less." He offers her a flask that smells strongly of some kind of alcohol.
(He just gave them pancakes, right?)
Corali smiled and gave Kenji a quick hug before looking at the food and taking a few bites.
(Nah don't sweat it! Life gets in the way sometimes.)
"Oh don't wory it's completely..."
Tabitha paused.
"What...wait..."
Tabitha turned to give a sideways glance to Ameli.
"What do you mean...get the blood back...you...you do re..."
Tabitha was thoroughly stumped.
"You shouldn't...drink the blood after it's touched the...equipment..."
******
The doors opened, to see a man in an armoured suit drag a very, very pissed off Echo to Vara's room. In tow, and surrounded by her litter of 7 pups (I believe) was Moonglow, who gave a very tired look to Vara.
The man in the HACE suit brought Echo to Vara and sighed.
"I...he...here's your murder dog...can you tell it to sit down? Ok? It's-" Echo's teeth clamped down on the armour plating.
******
Ann's hands were already moving around the board, gathering her pieces and collecting what she could.
"Damn right, i'm havin' a right ol' time I tells you!"
******
"it is just the perfect temperature," Nelly said with a wide smile, "Thank you, so very much...it's just...this is perfect...I really feel like I've done nothing to deserve this...I wish I could repay you in some way."
******
Indeed, out of the corner of her eye she saw a relatively scarred, but young looking, druid. He was the druid missing his left ring finger, and now she saw that his right ear was mauled slightly. He smiled softly as he looked inquisitively at...a sheet of paper. There was also Hawthorne himself, but he did say something about offering a date to Witta...whether that was true was up to be determined.
"Oh that's absolutely lovely! I wish I could make dresses like that, but while Oak is kind and fair he does have strict dress codes." Kelsee said as her tone grew somber. "I'm sorry to hear about your kin...it's not fun losing people like that...especially to a sorcerer, there's...if you need anything, I'll be happy to help out."
"Same here," Byron replied, "we're in this together for the long haul."
******
The guard seemed horrified at this, and looked to the lady.
"What...is...wh..."
He looked to Princess Kressidia, who seemed more confused, who then looked to the lady.
"What is this? This...this violates all known laws of science...who..."
The Princess approached the box, and investigated around it, so too did the other royal guards. They discussed terms of science and reason, but could explain nothing.
The Princess then addressed the woman.
"Who are...who...madame, may I know your name and profession."
Eastrid smiles and takes a pancake. She eats it, before continuing to pat Corali.
"The Spellweaver has turned her into a cat person." Eastrid murmured. "I will burn the Spellweaver."
"Eastrid," Kenji said, "shouldn't we maybe try to-"
"I am going to make her set things right," Eastrid said adamantly, "or die trying."
(Shut up u r valid and you got real life stuff to deal with <3 don't be so harsh.)
Tsarina nodded.
"Yeah...and hey, the sooner we get back, the sooner we have fun times."
She looked about.
"But this trip was fun...I think I might visit...you know...get in touch with nature again after being partly responsible for annihilating it."
******
William nodded with a smile, and extended a hand.
"Well, Trucy, thank you for having us; hopefully we haven't taken up too much of your time."
Wafflepocalypse
Harold nodded.
"What...haven't we done?"
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